Watch: Rafale aircraft's formal induction into Indian Air Force in Ambala
New Delhi, Sep 10: The Indian Air Force on Thursday formally inducted the indegenious Rafale aircraft today at 10 am into the 17 Squadron "Golden Arrows" at the Air Force Station in Ambala.
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According to reports, the French delegation will be represented by Emmanuel Lenain Ambassador of France to India, Air General Eric Autellet, Vice Chief of the Air Staff of the French Air Force and other senior officials.
Watch the formal induction of Rafale aircraft into Indian Air Force at the Air Force Station in Ambala here
Watch LIVE: Formal induction of Rafale aircraft into IAF at the Air Force Station in Ambala https://t.co/FuLl2Pz6Fy
— Prasar Bharati News Services (@PBNS_India) September 10, 2020
A large delegation of senior functionaries of French Defence Industries which includes Eric Trappier Chairman and Chief Executive of Dassault Aviation and Eric Beranger, CEO, MBDA will be present during the ceremony.
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Meanwhile, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh met Florence Parly, Minister of Armed Forces of France, at Palam Air Force Station before leaving for Ambala.
Florence Parly, minister of the French Armed Forces and defence minister Rajnath Singh will be the chief guests of the event. Parly will also receive a guard of honour upon her arrival in Delhi.
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According to reports, the event will also be attended by the Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria, Defence Secretary Dr Ajay Kumar, Dr G Satheesh Reddy, Secretary Department of Defence R&D and Chairman DRDO along with other senior officers.
The ceremonial unveiling of the aircraft will be accompanied with the traditional 'Sarva Dharma Puja'. The Rafale and Tejas aircrafts will also participate in an Air Display following which the Rafale aircraft will receive a water cannon salute.
The first five Rafale aircrafts of the IAF arrived in Ambala on July 27. Eric Trappier Chairman and Chief Executive of Dassault Aviation will also be present in the ceremony.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held a brief conversation with his French counterpart Florence Parly on ways to further boost bilateral defence cooperation. The talks took place at Palam Air Force station soon after Parly arrived on a day-long visit to participate in a ceremony in Ambala to mark formal induction of the first batch of Rafale aircraft into the Indian Air Force.
The French defence minister was also given a ceremonial guard of honour at the airport.
The first batch of five Rafale jets arrived in India on July 29, nearly four years after India signed an inter-governmental agreement with France to procure 36 of the aircraft at a cost of Rs 59,000 crore.
Singh and Parly are scheduled to hold wide-ranging talks in Ambala after the Rafale induction ceremony.